John c



(No Model.)

J. O. STURGEON. BALL AND SOCKET PIPE JOINT.

' N0.'409,124. Patented Aug. 13, 1889;

Witnesses. Inventor.

Q ma,

PETERS, Pinata-Lithographer. Washington. 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. STURGEON, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO SAMUEL A. DAVENPORT, OF SAME PLACE.

BALL-AND-SOCKET PIPE-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,124, dated August 13, 1889. Application filed October 1, 1888. Serial No. 286,897. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern: per edge (Z thereof with the inner surface 6 of Be it known that I, JOHN G. STURGEON, a the socket B, so as to prevent such scale or citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, dirt lodging at that point and working into in the county of Erie and State of Pennsyland injuring the joint, the inner surface e of Vania, have invented certain new and useful the socket B and the outer surface f of the 55 Improvements in Ball-and-SocketPipe-Joints; ball F being ground together and forming a and I do hereby declare the following to be a steam and water tight joint. Extending full, clear, and exact description of the invendownward from the hollow semi-spherical ball tion, such as will enable others skilled in the F is a hollow stem G, which is firmly screwed 10 art to which it appertains to make and use into the elbow H, into the opposite end of 60 the same, reference being had to the accomwhich the shell I of an ordinary expansionpanying drawings, and to the letters of referjoint is secured, so as to form a continuous ence marked thereon, forming part of this passage from a pipe secured in the socket at specification. D through the joint and into the portion J of r 5 My invention consists in the improvements the expansion -j oint. 65 in ball-and-socket pipe-joints hereinafter set Around the hollow stem G, I place a loose forth and explained, and illustrated in the acsleeve K, the upper end of which forms a companying drawings, in which semi-socket L, fitting over the outside of the Figure 1 shows a vertical central section of lower end of the socket B, the socket L opaball-and-socket pipe-joint embodying my ineratin g thereon. 7o vention. Fig. 2 shows a modified form of Between a shoulder is on the sleeve K and joint embodying my invention. a shoulder h on the elbow H, I place a spiral Like letters refer to like parts in all the figspring M, which encircles the sleeve K and ures. operates to retain the bearing-surfaces e and 2 5 The objects of my invention are to confin close contact, and also to keep the socket 75 structaball-and-socket pipe-joint forconnect- L in place against the outer surface of the ing steam-pipes between railway-cars with a socket B, and at the same time all of the exspring-actuated shell operating 011 the outer pansion and contraction, as well as all of the end of the socket, so as to automatically proordinary wear and tear of the working parts vide for the expansion and contraction of the of the joint, are automatically adjusted by the 80 operative parts of the joint and take up the operation of the spring M. ordinary Wear thereof, so as to keep it tight The construction and operation andthe form under all ordinary conditions without adj 11st of my improved joint shown in Fig. 2 are the ment, and also to so construct the joint as to same in all respects, except in that the pas- 3 5 completely protect it from the dust and other sage E through the upper section A of the- 85 substances injurious thereto. socket and the passage through the connec- In the construction of my joint as illustion II between the hollow stemGof the ball trated in Fig. 1, A is the upper portion of the F and the expansion-joint I J are straight, socket, and B the lower portion thereof, seinstead of elbows E and II, as shown in Fig.

40 cured together by means of a screw-thread a. 1 and hereinbefore described, and further de- 0 The upper portion A is provided with a plate scription thereof is therefore deemed unnec- O, adapted to be bolted to any suitable supessary.

port. In one side of the section A is a screw- Having thus fully described my invention threaded opening 1), adapted to receive a so as to enable others skilled in the art to pipe. From the openingD a passage extends which it appertains to make and use the 5 inward and downward, terminating in a pipe same, what I claim as new, and desire to se- 1), which extends downward into the hollow cure by Letters Patent of the United States, semi-spherical ball F, so as to carry scale or is dirt from the pipes down into the hollow semi- 7 1. The combination, in a flexible ball-andspherical ball F below the junction of the upsocket pipe-joint, of a socket a portion of 10c which has parallel hemispherical outer and inner surfaces, and a hollow semi'spherieal ball seated and operating on the inner hemispherical surface of said socket, and having a hollow stein projecting out through an opening in the central portion of said hemispherical socket, with a semi-spherical cap having an opening therein fitting loosely over the said stem and operating on the outer hemispherical surface of said socket, and a spring on said stem operating between a collar thereon and the outer end of said socket, adapted to automatically retain the semi-spherical ball on the inner end of the stem in close contact with the inner surface of the socket and the semi-spherical cap in like close contact with the outer surface of the socket, whereby a tight, dust-proof, flexible ball-and-socket joint not affected by the expansion and contraction of the parts thereof is secured, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a ball-and-socket pipe-joint, of a socket a portion of which is hemispherical, a hollow semi-spherical ball having a hollow stem thereon and operating in the hemispherical portion of said socket, and an inlet-pipe projecting down into the chamber in said semi-spherical ball, with a loose socket operating over the stem of said ball and adapted to partially embrace the outer surface of the hemispherical portion of the socket in which said ball operates, and a spiral spring operating between a collar on said socket and a collar on the stem of the ball, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a ball-and-soeket pipe-joint, of a hemispherical socket portion B and a hollow semi-spherical ball F, having a hollow stem G thereon and operating in said soeketsection B, with a loose sleeve K, covering the hollow ball-stem G outside of the socket B, and having a socket L thereon partially embracing and operating against the outside of the socket l3, and a spiral spring M, operating between a collar on said sleevesocket and a collar on the outer end of the stem G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

t. The combination, in a ball-and-socket pipe-joint, of the right-angled inlet-pipe E, having an extension I) reaching down into the hollow ball F, and the socket-section B, with the half-ball F operating in said socket, the loose sleeve-soeket K, operating on the ballsleeve G and against the outside of the socketsection B, the elbow ll, and the spring operating between the shoulder K on said socketsleeve and the shoulder It on said elbow ll, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. STURGEON.

\Vitnesses:

N. J. CLARK, II. J. Cun'rzn. 

